Responding to Disaster in Cuba

Following a legacy of giving in Cuba, Bacardi Limited came to the aid of the Cuban people when the island was devastated by three powerful storms in 2008. The losses – in damaged infrastructure, food shortages, broken homes and lives – were estimated by the United Nations to be in excess of US$4 billion.

Bacardi Limited responded with a US$120,000 donation for both immediate humanitarian relief and to fund a targeted communications campaign to encourage giving. Bacardi worked with the Pan American Development Foundation’s (PADF) Cuba Development Initiative, an independent non-profit organization and an affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS). The Bacardi grant was leveraged to obtain major public and private donations, multiplying the impact of the Bacardi Limited contribution fourfold.

Bacardi’s donation provided emergency food and shelter packages – all distributed through PADF’s established network to ensure all the aid went to the people who needed it most. In the end, 3,842 people received help and more than 2.8 million individuals were reached by the fundraising campaign. We have been advised the aid reached every province in Cuba.

Bacardi, through PADF, received multiple letters and photos from recipients in Cuba, thanking the Company for its help.